A week has passed since the 15th International Day of Action for Rivers on March 14th, and the count has been tallied. This year, we know of more than 150 actions in 43 countries around the world!
There were gatherings of hundreds of people, campaign successes, supportive media coverage, smaller protests of dedicated activists, celebrations, and many more types of actions. To all those who made March 14th a day to show the world the connection between healthy, free-flowing rivers, healthy communities, and healthy ecosystems, thank you!
In A River Runs Through Us, Gustavo Castro, from Otros Mundos/MAPDER remarked about the Rivers for Life 3 gathering in Temaca, Mexico in October of 2010:
“I think that in the process of resistance and struggle it is fundamental that communities like Temaca feel that they are not alone…meeting with others, hearing their experiences, renews hope with great power. Human and political trust happens when we come together.”
For this year’s International Day of Action for Rivers thousands of people came together around the world for free-flowing rivers. uniting like this is fundamental to the process of fighting for what you believe in – it’s a time to gain inspiration and be supported, to celebrate what we have, to make demands of our governments and show mass support for them, and to stand in solidarity with this global struggle for the world’s lifelines. As communities and activists come together for local river systems, they are also coming together for the larger systems they are connected to.
Connections were made across countries as activists visited each other to support and learn from various actions, including International Rivers campaigners.
| There were so many actions this year; from gatherings of a dozen people to hundreds, they are all inspiring and part of the larger global movement for free-flowing, healthy rivers.
Gathering our voices, sharing photos, videos, and stories is an incredible opportunity to strengthen the movement, to bring it into the headlines, and to let the world know – we all need our free-flowing rivers!
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